The Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Texas) revealed on Thursday that former Obama officials were "undermining" Trump administration efforts to "rebuild" military strength.
His comments came in the wake of a recent Committee hearing, where U.S. generals lamented the poor state of military readiness after former President Barack Obama imposed mandatory spending caps in 2011.
Thornberry told the press on Thursday that many of the personnel preparing the defense budget were the same people "fighting every step of the way against our efforts to fix these problems," according to the Daily Caller.
Obama holdovers "have been fighting against rebuilding & are still undermining agenda," Thornberry's office tweeted on Thursday.
(1of2) @RealDonaldTrump commitment to rebuild our military strength 100% right. Could not have a better leader than #SecDef Mattis, but...
— Mac Thornberry Press (@MacTXPress) February 16, 2017
(2of2) @RealDonaldTrump promise is facing Obama holdovers @DOD who have been fighting against rebuilding & are still undermining agenda.
— Mac Thornberry Press (@MacTXPress) February 16, 2017
Thornberry worried that Defense Secretary Mattis was "alone" in his efforts to fix military preparedness, and said that "political appointees and others from the Obama administration," were "trying to deny there was a problem."
"I think it is wrong, immoral to ask men and women to go carry out a military mission for which they are not fully equipped, and fully trained, and fully supported," Thornberry said during the press conference.